BANCROFT    LIBRARY 


EDGAR  L,  HEWET 

DIRECTOR  OF  AMERICA 
ARCHAEOLOGY    r6R  TH 

ARCHAEOLOGfCAL  [WSTITU 

OF  AMERICA 


NGERDtP 


EHVER  AND  R.IO  GRANDE  RAl'LRO'AO 


Copyright,  1909,  by 

S.  K.  Hooper 
General  Passenger  and  Ticket  Agent 


Hbi 


THE  CLIFFS  OF  PUYE 


Northern  New  Mexico 


Ancient    Ruins    of    the 
Southwest 


'  HE  remains  of  ancient  populations 
spread  over  the  Southwest  have  been 
a  subject  of  great  interest  to  travelers 
and  settlers  for  generations  past.  They 
have  attracted  the  attention  of  students 
and  literary  men  and  much  has  been 

written,  scientific    and    speculative,  concerning    these 

ancient  peoples. 

Within  recent  years  close  investigation  has  shed 
new  light  upon  these  ancient  places.  The  states  and 
their  citizens  have  commenced  the  protection  of  ancient 
ruins,  the  Government  of  the  United  States  has  inter 
ested  itself  and  its  scholars,  so  that  now  the  truth  about 
the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  Southwest  is  gradually 
becoming  known.  It  has  not  in  the  least  detracted  from 
the  interest  in  them  to  discover  the  truth — to  remove 
the  veil  of  mystery  that  has  hung  over  them  and  make 
known  the  actual  facts.  On  the  contrary,  they  have 
grown  in  interest  to  thinking  people  as  their  true  char 
acter  has  become  known. 

Most  conspicuous  of  the  ancient  cities  of  the 
Southwest  are  those  of  Colorado,  Utah,  New  Mexico 
and  Arizona.  It  is  not  an  exaggeration  to  speak  of 
these  large  ancient  communities  as  "cities",  for  there 
must  have  been  in  them  elements  of  collective  order,  of 
well-controlled  community  life,  of  common  interest  and 
common  welfare  characteristic  of  present-day  communi 
ties  which  we  designate  as  towns,  and  in  some  cases  the 


ANCIENT         RUINS         OF         THE         SOUTHWEST 
four 

aggregation  of  population  was  sufficient  to  warrant  the 
name  of  "city". 

Pajanto  Plateau  in  New  Mexico 

The  great  elevation  of  yellowish-gray  volcanic 
tufa  northwest  of  Santa  Fe,  known  as  Pajarito  Plateau, 
overspread  an  area  of  perhaps  five  hundred  square  miles 


THE  CLIFF  DWELLINGS  OF 


Northern  New  Mexico 


on  the  west  side  of  the  Rio  Grande  at  the  base  of  the 
Jemez  Mountains.  It  is  a  formation  of  vast  age,  and 
water  and  wind  erosion  have  sculptured  the  soft  rock 
masses  into  bold,  fantastic  remnants  which,  standing 
out  above  the  general  level,  appear  as  geological  islands. 
On  the  tops  of  these  and  also  in  the  vertical  faces  of  the 
southern  exposed  cliffs  and  upon  the  sloping  talus  reach 
ing  therefrom  to  the  valleys  below,  we  find  the  remains 
of  almost  countless  groups  of  the  old  community  houses. 
Those  on  the  mesa  tops  were  typically  arranged  in 


ANCIENT         KUINS 


O    F 


S    O    U    T 


WEST 


quadrangles  of  four  terraced  houses,  surrounding  a 
squarish  court,  which  could  be  entered  only  by  a  single 
narrow  passageway.  These  quadrangular  structures 
consisted  of  many  rooms  arranged  in  series,  side  by  side, 
and  also  in  terraces  to  the  height  of  several  stories. 
The  great  community  house  at  Puye  must  have  been 
four  stories  high  and  contained  from  ten  to  twelve  hun 


dred  rooms,  while  against  the  cliff  below  were  built 
extensive  villages  that  housed  hundreds  of  people.  The 
entire  plateau  from  the  Chama  River  south  for  forty 
miles,  is  covered  with  similar  remains.  The  cliff  houses 
alone,  or  rather  the  cliffs  containing  them,  if  placed  in 
a  single  line,  would  extend  for  over  one  hundred  miles. 
The  culmination  of  all  the  ancient  cliff  cities  of 
this  region  is  to  be  seen  in  the  Rito  de  los  Frijoles.  Here 
we  find  a  condition  very  different  from  that  above 


EXCAVATED  VILLAGE  at  the  bottom  of  the  Canon  -•  Rito  do  los  Frijole 


Northern  New  Mexico 


Northen 


ANCIENT         RUINS 


O    U    T    H    W 


-in 

seven 


described,  for,  instead  of  being  built  as  a  citadel  on  an 
eminence,  we  find  here  the  ruins  in  a  canon,  five  hun 
dred  feet  deep,  secluded  from  the  outer  world,  as  diffi 
cult  of  access  as  are  the  high  mesa  fortresses.  Scattered 
along  this  narrow  gorge  are  fifteen  villages  within  a 
space  of  a  mile  and  a  quarter.  The  canon  was  entered 
only  by  two  or  three  trails.  It  is  inaccessible  from  the 
Rio  Grande  because  of  two  waterfalls  which  completely 


Northern  New  Mexico 


intercept  the  narrow  passage.  This  ancient  community 
bore  the  name  of  Tyuonyi.  The  principal  focus  of  its 
population  was  the  great  community  house,  roughly 
circular,  built  on  the  northern  brink  of  the  streamlet. 
This  was  a  terraced  house,  three  stories  high,  and  may 
have  contained  eight  or  nine  hundred  rooms.  Its  inner 
court  was  entered  by  a  single  narrow  passage.  Three 
other  community  houses  much  smaller  are  found  in  the 
bottom  of  the  canon,  and  on  the  talus  against  the 
northern  cliff  are  the  remains  of  eleven  villages.  Exca- 


ANCIENT         RUIN 


OF         THE         SOUTHWEST 


vations  have  been  commenced  in  this  old  settlement, 
and  already  it  has  contributed  much  to  the  record  of 
man's  early  life  in  the  Southwest. 

Another  group  of  ancient  towns,  less  picturesque 
in  situation  but  of  equal  interest,  is  that  of  the  Chaco 
Canon  in  northwestern  New  Mexico.  These  great 
houses,  standing  in  the  open,  some  five  stories  high, 


Northern  New  Mexico 


were  built  of  sandstone  blocks,  in  some  cases  arranged 
in  courses  of  varying  thickness  so  as  to  produce  decora 
tive  effects.  They  had  no  natural  security  of  situation 
on  high  mesas  or  in  deep  canons,  but  stood  in  the  open 
valley  and  on  the  sandy  plain,  entirely  unprotected 
save  by  their  own  massive  walls.  Best  known  of  all  in 
this  group  is  Pueblo  Bonito,  a  huge  structure  five  stories 
high,  semi-circular  in  form,  its  walls  still  standing  to  a 
height  of  over  forty  feet.  Not  far  away  are  the  ruins 


ANCIENT         RUINS 


O    F 


S    O    U    T    H    W 


nine 


of  Chettro  Kettle,  Hungo  Pavie,  Wijiji  and  Pefiasco 
Blanco.  This  famous  group  of  ruins  stands  in  the 
midst  of  a  desolate  plain,  the  Navajo  Desert,  now 
almost  devoid  of  water  and  incapable  of  supporting 
any  population  except  of  wandering  Navajo. 

The  Rums  near  Aztec  ~ 

Within  a  few  minutes'  walk  of  the  town  of  Aztec, 
New  Mexico,   in  the  Animas  Valley,  is  one  of  the 


Aztec,  New  Mexico 


greatest  of  the  ancient  pueblo  ruins  of  the  Southwest. 
It  is  of  the  same  class  as  those  of  the  Chaco  Canon  and 
must  have  been  built  by  a  closely  related  people.  The 
number  of  stories  that  it  originally  contained  cannot 
now  be  determined  and  the  original  number  of  rooms 
is  also  indefinite,  but  it  is  plain  that  there  were  several 
hundred  of  them.  Some  of  these  rooms  are  still  com 
pletely  preserved,  and  floors,  walls,  ceilings  and  fire 
places  may  be  seen  in  exactly  the  condition  in  which 
left  by  the  ancient  inhabitants.  The  timbers  used  in 
the  construction  of  the  ceilings  are  in  many  cases  in  a 
perfect  state  of  preservation. 


BALCONY  HOUSE  --  Mesa  Verde  National  Park 


Southwestern  Coloradc 


Southwestern  Colorado 


A    N    C    1 


RUIN 


T    H    W    ET    S    T 


eleven 


Mesa  Verde  National  Park 
in  Colorado 

More  spectacular  in  interest  than  any  other  place 
of  its  kind  is  the  Mesa  Verde  National  Park,  near  Man- 
cos,  in  southwestern  Colorado.  Here  is  a  geological 
condition  not  unlike  that  above  described,  excepting 


Map  Showing-  the  Canons  and  Location  of  Principal  Ruins  in  the  Mesa  Verde 
National  Park  --  Southwestern  Colorado 

that  the  great  rock  blanket  is  of  sandstone  instead  of 
tufa.  Like  the  Pajarito,  it  is  rent  into  fragments  by 
ages  of  torrential  erosion,  but,  unlike  that  region,  great 
natural  caverns  have  here  been  formed  in  the  rock 
walls,  which  afforded  exceptional  security  for  communi 
ties  of  people  not  inclined  to,  nor  fitted  for,  the  stress 
of  warfare  with  predatory  neighbors.  In  these  caverns, 
reached  by  trails  of  extreme  difficulty,  we  find  the  ruins 
of  the  most  remarkable  cliff  dwellings  in  the  world.  It 


Southwestern  Colorado 


SPRUCE  TREE  HOUSE  after  removal  of  debris  --  Mesa  Verde  National  Park 

Southwestern  Colorado 


thirteen 


is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  these  ruined  towns,  in  such 
unusual  situations,  with  their  towers,  round  and  square, 
their  subterranean  sanctuaries,  should  have  become  the 
theme  of  countless  stories  and  theories,  romantic  and 
absurd. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  a  more  weird  sight  is 
hardly  to  be  seen  in  traveling  over  the  known  world. 


Southwestern  Colorado 


They  are  not  so  great  in  extent  as  the  community  houses 
of  the  Pajarito,  but  they  are  in  a  much  better  state  of 
preservation.  In  architectural  design  and  skill  of  con 
struction  they  surpass  anything  else  of  their  kind  that 
has  been  discovered.  Greatest  of  all  is  the  famous  Cliff 
Palace.  Nearly  equal  in  interest  are  Balcony  House, 
Spruce  Tree  House,  Peabody  House,  Long  House  and 
many  others,  each  of  which  affords  new  phases  of  in- 


ANCIENT         BUTN 


T    H    W    B    8    T 


terest  in  construction  and  situation.  Many  houses  of 
lesser  size  are  situated  so  as  to  be  practically  inaccessible 
at  the  present  time. 

Going  west  some  forty  or  fifty  miles  from  the 
Mesa  Verde,  we  come  to  another  district  of  cliff  houses 
in  the  McElmo  Canon  and  its  tributaries.  The  people 
who  built  these  structures  were  doubtless  closely  related 
to  those  of  the  Mesa  Verde,  but  their  methods  of  de- 


Southwestern  Colorado 


fense  differed  conspicuously.  Instead  of  placing  their 
buildings  in  caverns  under  overhanging  ledges,  they 
built  them  on  the  edge  of  the  rim-rock  at  the  heads  of 
small  canons  and  guarded  them  from  below  by  means 
of  watch  towers,  round  or  square,  placed  upon  huge 
boulders  at  the  canon  junctions.  The  Cannonball, 
Holly,  Ruin,  Hovenweep  and  Yellow  Jacket  canons 
are  tributaries  of  the  McElmo,  which  contained  count 
less  cliff  houses  of  this  type. 


ANCIENT         RUIN 


OF         T    H 


OUTHWBST 


fifteen 


Ruins  in  Southern  Utah 

Southern  Utah  is  also  a  rich  field  for  the  archaeol 
ogist.  Here,  too,  in  addition  to  the  human  interest  cen 
tering  about  the  ancient  cliff  towns,  we  encounter  the 
most  unusual  and  fantastic  scenery  of  the  Southwest. 
The  country  of  the  Natural  Bridges,  lying  sixty-five 
miles  northwest  of  the  town  of  Bluff,  is  in  scenic  and 


. 


.  .- 


EXCAVATION  WORK  ON  COMMUNITY  HOUSE 


Southeastern  Utah 


archaeological  interest  unsurpassed.  These  great  natural 
arches  are  without  parallel  in  the  world.  The  gorges 
about  them  are  full  of  natural  caves,  in  which  are  found 
the  cliff  houses  of  the  ancient  inhabitants.  Grand 
Gulch,  the  westernmost  northern  tributary  of  the  San 
Juan,  is  another  gorge  of  surpassing  interest.  It  is,  in 
places,  one  thousand  feet  deep,  and  for  sixty  miles  its 
walls  are  dotted  with  cliff  villages. 


Southern  Utah 


AVko  \Vere  Tkese  Ancient 
People?" 

To  give  even  a  brief  description  of  all  the  centers 
of  ancient  population  in  the  Southwest  would  require  a 
volume.  The  purpose  of  this  brief  story  is  merely  to 
point  out  in  a  general  way  the  character  and  distribu 
tion  of  the  remains  of  these  ancient  civilizations.  The 
questions  asked  by  everyone  are:  "Who  were  these  an 
cient  people?"  "When  did  they  live  here?"  and 
"What  was  the  cause  of  their  disappearance?" 

Scientists  no  longer  speak  of  vanished  races  in 
America.  The  fundamental  unity  of  the  race  that  in 
habited  this  continent  at  the  time  of  its  discovery  by 
the  European  may  be  accepted.  In  the  Southwest,  as 
on  the  Mexican  plateaus  and  in  Central  America,  cer 
tain  tribes  of  Indians  developed  peculiar  lines  of  cul 
ture  to  a  level  that  may  be  considered  "civilization". 
By  what  names  they  may  have  been  known  to  them 
selves  and  to  other  tribes  we  may  never  know.  For  the 
present  we  speak  of  them  simply  as  the  "Ancient 
Pueblos"  and  "Cliff  Dwellers",  as  we  designate  the  an 
cient  tribes  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  as  the  "Mound 
Builders".  But  it  must  not  be  understood  that  we  as 
sume  any  different  race  of  people  from  the  American 
Indian. 

The  time  element  in  the  history  of  these  ancient 
groups  is  obscure.  We  know  that  the  cliff  cities  were 
in  ruins  at  the  time  of  the  coming  of  the  Spaniards. 
Any  statement  of  the  date  of  their  abandonment  must 
be  largely  conjectural.  If  we  were  to  venture  such  a 
conjecture,  it  would  be  to  suggest  from  eight  to  ten  cen 
turies  ago  as  the  most  recent  date  of  occupation  in  the 
localities  above  described. 


U    T    H    W    B    8    T 


The  disappearance  of  these  people  from  the  region 
in  which  they  flourished  for  centuries  is  an  interesting 
problem  and  one  that  is  far  from  solution.  To  say  that 
the  present  Pueblo  Indians  are  exactly  the  same  people 
is  to  assume  what  the  ascertained  facts  will  not  bear 
out.  There  are  wide  differences  between  the  symbols 
used  by  the  ancients  and  by  the  present  Pueblos  for  the 
decoration  of  their  pottery.  The  anatomical  remains  of 
the  Cliff  Dwellers  show  decided  non-conformity  to  the 
anatomical  characters  of  the  Pueblos  of  the  present  day. 
For  example,  the  Pueblos  of  the  Rio  Grande  Valley  at 


CLIFF  DWELLING    in  the  Country  of  the  Natural  Bridges 


present  are  br  achy  cephalic  or  broad-headed,  while  the 
ancient  people  of  the  adjacent  Pajarito  Plateau  were  a 
dolicocephalic  or  narrow-headed  people.  Moreover,  the 
traditions  of  the  Pueblos  when  thoroughly  sifted,  do  not 
indicate  that  they  were  descended,  except  in  part,  from 
the  people  of  the  cliffs. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  from  the  great  extent  of 
the  ancient  ruins  of  the  Southwest,  that  a  large  popula 
tion  existed  in  that  region  centuries  ago  in  places  where, 


Southern  Utah 


A    N    C    I    E    N 


at  the  present  time,  people  could  not  find  subsistence  in 
any  considerable  numbers,  as,  for  example,  in  Chaco 
Canon.  Here  we  find  irrigating  ditches  of  consider 
able  extent  in  the  midst  of  a  sandy  plain  now  devoid  of 
water  except  for  the  brief,  dashing  rains  of  the  late 
summer  season.  The  population  indicated  by  the  ruins 


Southeastern  Utah 


ANCIENT 


O    U    T    H 


of  that  region  could  not  subsist  under  present  condi 
tions.  In  a  greater  or  less  degree  these  conditions  pre 
vailed  all  over  the  Southwest,  and  the  geological  evi 
dence  is  conclusive  that  there  has  been  a  slow,  progres 
sive  drying  up  of  this  region,  which  has  made  popula 
tion  in  such  large  communities  practically  impossible. 
The  indications  are  that  the  abandonment  of  these  vil 
lages  went  on  slowly  for  many  years.  There  is  nothing 
to  indicate  any  sudden  general  exodus.  It  would  seem 
likely  that  a  gradual  re-distribution  of  the  population 
took  place,  bands  emigrating  to  the  East,  South  or 
West,  as  their  towns  became  untenable  from  lack  of 
water.  We  know  of  detachments  having  settled  at 
Hopi  in  Arizona,  and  in  the  Rio  Grande  Valley  in  New 
Mexico,  but  how  far  still  larger  bands  may  have  wan 
dered  from  the  old  cliff  homes  is  unknown. 


RUINS         OF         THE         SOUTHWEST 


twenty-three 


MAP  OF 

The  Denver  Cy   Rio  Grande  Railroad 
"  Around  the  Circle  Tour  " 

Showing  Location  of  the  Principal  Cliff  and  Care  Ruins  of  the  Southwest 


ing      o 
and  the 


Neareat  Railroad  Points  from  which  they  can  he  reached 


M     E    X    I      C   10 

BSPANOL 


To  NATURAL  BRIDGES 

^"No"lfc 

A j Clitf  Dwellings 

FOUR  I  CORNERS  Ruins 


A    NC1BNT          RUINS         OF         THE         SOUTHWEST 

four 


PICTOORAPHS  -  Ruina  of  Tsankawi  Northern  New  Mexico 

How  to  Reach  the  Ancient  Ruins 
of  the  Southwest 

The  ruins  of  the  Southwest  herein  described  by  Dr.  Hewett  are  all 
located  on  the  line  of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  System,  or  can  be 
easily  reached  from  stations  on  its  line. 

The  Puy£  ruins  are  twelve  miles  from   Espanola,   New  Mexico. 

The  ruins  of  Pajarito,  Otowi,  Tsankawi,  Navawi  and  Rito  de  los 
Frijoles  are  reached  from  Santa  F£,  New  Mexico,  and  are  from  twenty 
to  thirty  miles  distant.  They  can  also  be  reached  from  Buckman  or 
Espanola,  from  seven  to  fifteen  miles  distant,  but  it  is  more  satisfactory 
to  make  arrangements  for  transportation,  etc.,  at  Santa  F£.  At  this 
place  arrangements  are  being  made  to  convey  travelers  to  the  ruins  by 
automobile  at  an  expense  of  £i  5.00  for  one  person,  or  $i  2.  50  each 
for  two  or  more  for  a  trip  of  three  days. 

The  Aztec  ruins  are  less  than  two  miles  from  the  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  station  at  Aztec,  New  Mexico,  and  can  be  seen  from  the  train. 

The  ruins  in  the  Mesa  Verde  National  Park  are  reached  from  Mancos, 
Colorado,  which  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Park. 
The  Cliff  Palace,  Spruce  Tree  House,  Balcony  House  and  Peabody 
House  are  about  twenty-five  miles  from  the  station — fifteen  miles  by 
good  wagon  road  and  ten  miles  by  horseback  trail.  Arrangements  can 
be  made  at  Mancos  for  the  round  trip,  which  can  be  comfortably  made 
in  three  days  at  an  expense  of  $1  5.00  for  one  person,  or  $i  2.50  each 
for  two  or  more.  These  charges  include  conveyances,  meals  and 
sleeping  accommodations. 

The  Holly,  Yellow  Jacket,  Hovenweep  and  Cannon  Ball  Canons 
are  from  45  to  65  miles  from  Dolores,  Colorado,  where  arrangements 
can  be  made  for  special  conveyances. 

The  Natural  Bridges  of  Utah  are  about  I  50  miles  from  Dolores,  Colo 
rado.  There  is  a  regular  stage  liae  from  Dolores  to  Bluff,  Utah,  where 
arrangements  can  be  made  for  guides  and  conveyances  to  the  bridges, 
65  miles  from  the  latter  point. 


IMPRINT:  CARSON  IIARPRR,   DENVER 


List  of  Representatives 

of  the  Denver  and  Rio 

Grande  System 

BUTTE,  MONT..  56  East  Broadway 

E.  R.  Hunt General  Agent 

CHICAGO,  ILL..  242  South  Clark  Street 

R.  C.  Nichd General  Agent 

Ralph  J.  VanDyke Trav.  Pass'r  Agent 

CINCINNATI.  OHIO.  409  Traction  Bldg. 

J.  E.  Clark General  Agent 

COLO.  SPRINGS.  COLO.,  16N.TeionSt. 

W.  H.  Cundey Gen'l  Agt.  Pass'r  Dept. 

DENVER,  COLO. 

F.  A.  Wadleigh A.  G.  P.  and  T.  A. 

A.  W.  Parrott City  Pass'r  Agent 

A.McFarland -City  Ticket  Agent 

S.  C.  Shearer --Trav.  Pass'r  Agent 

KANSAS  CITY,  MO.,  315  N.  Y.  Life  Bldg. 

H.  V.  Luyster Trav.  Pass'r  Agent 

LOS  ANGELES,  CAL.  544  S.  Spring  St. 

S.  C.  Nash General  Agent 

T.  F.  Fitzgerald Dist.  Pass  r  Agent 

NEW  YORK  CITY,  N.  Y.,  335  Broadway 

H.  E.  Tupper.- -Gen'l  Agent,  Pass'r  Dept. 

Eugene  Lovenberg Trav.  Pass'r  Agent 

OAKLAND,  CALIF.,  1070  Broadway 

John  A.  Beckwith City  Pass'r  Agent 

PITTSBURG,  PA.,  412  Park  Bldg. 

Jas.  T.  Neison - General  Agent 

PORTLAND,  ORE.,  124  Third  St. 

W.  C  McBride -..General  Agent 

E.  B.  Duffy Trav.  Pass'r  Agent 

PUEBLO,  COLO..  Central  BIk,  2d  and  Mam  St. 

J.  D.  Kenworthy A.  G.  F.  and  P.  A. 

E.  S.  Card Gty  Pass'r  and  Ticket  Agent 

ST.  LOUIS,  MO..  213  Frisco  Bldg. 

A.  B.  Ayers Trav.  Pass'r  Agent 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH,  Judge  Bldg. 

I.  A.  Benton Gen'l  Agent,  Pasi'r  Dept. 

H.  M.  Gushing Trav.  Pass'r  Agent 

SAN  FRANCISCO.  CALIF..  36  Powell  St. 

W-J-Shotwell General  Agent 

k£  ^"gfet1 --Commercial  Agent 

!°&KrSmith T2.v>  &".'  A«ent 

S- M.  Tate— .     City  FWr  Agent 

W.  B.Townsend T.F.andP.A. 

J.  D.  KENWORTHY, 

Assistant  General  Passenger  Agent. 
Pueblo,  Colo. 

F.  A.  WADLEIGH," 

Awt.  Gen'l  Pass'r  and  Ticket  Agent, 
Denver,  Colo. 

S.  K.  HOOPER, 

General  Passenger  and  Tickat  Agent, 
Denver,  Colo. 


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